Chronology of the three seers Chronology of the three seers 1907.03.28 | Lucia de Jesus born in Aljustrel. Lucia de Jesus was born in Aljustrel, last of six children of Maria Rosa and Antonio dos Santos. Birthdate mentioned in the Parish Register is March 22, a difference explained by Lucia herself in her Vth Memoir: "When I was born – so I heard from my mother in an interview with Dr. Formigão, who had asked her about my birthday, and she replied “We say it is on March 22, because she was registered as being born on this day, but in fact it is not so. She was born on March 28, 1907. It was Holy Thursday; in the morning, I went to Mass and received Holy Communion, thinking of coming back, in the afternoon, to visit the Blessed Sacrament, but that did not happen, because she was born in that afternoon [...]. Father, immediately, tried to put things in readiness for baptism. Having it next week did not suit him by reason of his work, but, as it was required that parents present their children for baptism eight days after being born – otherwise they were liable to penalty – Father decided to present her as born on 22, so that the parish priest might baptize her in the Holy Saturday, which was the 30th of the same month.” Lucia was, therefore, baptized in Fatima, on March 30, 1907, as confirmed by the baptism register book, signed by the parish priest. Memórias da Irmã Lúcia [Memoirs of Sister Lucia], II, Fatima, Sanctuary of Fatima, 2010, p. 13; cf. register No. 30/1907 of the Baptism Book of the Parish of Fatima, Civil Registry of Vila Nova de Ourém 1908.06.11 | Francisco born in Aljustrel. Francisco was born in Aljustrel, the penultimate of seven children of Manuel Pedro Marto and Olímpia de Jesus. He was baptized on June 20, 1908, in the parish church of Fatima, as set out in the baptism register book Cf. register No. 39/1908 of the Baptism Book of the Parish of Fatima, Civil Registry of Vila Nova de Ourém 1 / 13 1910.03.05 | Jacinta born in Aljustrel. Jacinta born in Aljustrel, seventh and last child of Manuel Pedro Marto and Olimpia de Jesus. She was baptized on March 19, 1910, in the parish church of Fatima, as recorded on the baptism register book. Although her official birthday is the 11th March, it is likely that Jacinta's birth date has been changed by the parents, as it happened with Lucia and for the same reasons. A brief record of Manuel Nunes Formigão brings the following explanations related to the seer: "Jacinta, March 5" and "Jacinta de Jesus, 7 years old on March 5”. Cf. register No. 19/1910 of the Baptism Book of the Parish of Fatima, Civil Registry of Vila Nova de Ourem; cf. Documentação Crítica de Fátima, Vol. I, Fatima, Sanctuary of Fatima, 1992, p. 92 and 97 1913 | Lucia receives First Communion. Lucia received First Communion in the parish church of Fatima. As she was only six years old, the parish priest saw as advisable to postpone Lucia's reception of holy communion for the following year, as she herself recounts in her Second Memoir, written in 1937. But Fr. Cruz who, at the time, made a visit to the parish and was surprised by the child's catechetical knowledge, interceded for her with the parish priest. In communion day, Lucia formulates this prayer: "O Lord, make me a saint. Keep my heart always pure, for You alone.” Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 73 1915 | Lucia and three companions spotted what “appeared to be a cloud in human form.” In her Fourth Memoir, Lucy says, in that year, "with three companions [...] I saw, poised in the air above the trees that stretched down to the valley which lay at our feet, what appeared to be a cloud in human form, whiter than snow and almost transparent. My companions asked me what it was. I replied that I did not know. This happened on two further occasions, but on different days”. Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 170 1916 | An angel appears, three times, to the three shepherd children. Francisco, 8 years old, and Jacinta, 6, begin to tend the flock of their parents. In the Second and Fourth Lucia's Memoirs, written respectively in 1937 and 1941, she leaves the most complete record of the Angel apparitions, three times, in the spring, summer and fall, to the three shepherds of Fatima, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia herself. The Angel, who introduces himself as Angel of Peace and also as Angel of Portugal, invites them to a life committed to the God's "designs of mercy". Cf. Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 76-79; 170-173. 2 / 13 1917.05.13 | The Lady of the Rosary appears to the three shepherd children for the first time. At the Cova da Iria, where they tend the flocks, the seers become aware of the presence and apparition of a Lady "more brilliant than the sun", who tells them to be from "Heaven." The Lady asks them to return to the Cova da Iria 'six consecutive months, on the 13th and at the same hour", telling them that in the final apparition she would reveal to them who she really was and what she wanted. In the meantime, she calls the little shepherds: "Will you offer yourselves to God?" Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 82-84. 1917.05.27 | Lucia is subjected to the first questioning about the apparitions. Lucia is exposed to the first of many questionings about the apparitions. The first interviewer is the parish priest of Fatima, Manuel Marques Ferreira, who registers some notes of his various dialogues with the seers. These notes are conserved as a historical record of the Fatima-event, together with the notes of many other interrogations to the three seers performed by, among others, Manuel Nunes Formigão, Carlos Azevedo Mendes and Jose Ferreira Lacerda. Documentação Crítica de Fátima, vol. I, Fátima: Santuário de Fátima, 1992. The first questionings by the parish priest of Fatima are in the pages 5-9. 1917.06.13 | The Lady of the Rosary appears to the three shepherd children for the second time. The second apparition presents as a distinctive trait the promise of the Lady of the Rosary to Lucia saddened by the prospect of being alone: “Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” Cf. Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 177 1917.07.13 | The Lady of the Rosary appears to the three shepherd children for the third time. In the apparition of July, the Lady revealed to the three children what became known as the Secret of Fatima; it consists of a vision as in a triptych: the first scene presents a vision of hell; the second shows the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; the third depicts the Martyr Church on the way to the Cross. Cf. Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, p. 178; 207-215 3 / 13 1917.08.13 | The seers are detained in Ourém and the Lady of the Rosary appears for the fourth time, on August 19, to the three shepherd children. According to several witnesses, the three children are taken to Vila Nova de Ourém by the Municipality Administrator, Artur de Oliveira Santos. He himself corroborates that, writing with his own hand: «At the time I held the position and duty of municipality Administrator and in the early hours of the 13th, after having put a G.N.R. task force for prevention at the city hall, I went to the Aljustrel village with the municipality official Candido Alho, with the aim of bringing the three protagonists to this town and, by this means, of preventing the continuation of the increasing clerical speculation about them. Near the dwelling house of the parents of Francisco and Jacinta, already was Fr. João, parish priest in Porto de Mós, talking to the mother, and next to a small square a lot of seminarians. Lucia was interrogated at my request, by the priest and she uttered again what she had previously said. I convinced the parents of Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, and also the priests that the children be interviewed by the parish priest of Fatima, in order to determine something concrete; but as soon as we arrived at Fatima, the children did not go to the Cova da Iria, as expected more than a dozen priests, but I brought them to my family house in a car previously rented. » After three days in Ourém, the three children, after having been submitted, if we accept the Lucia’s story, to various threats to reveal the secret entrusted by Lady, were returned to their families on 15 August. Documentação Crítica de Fátima, vol. I, Fátima: Santuário de Fátima, 1992, pp. 377-378; cf. Fatima in Lucia's own words, Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, 2007, Fátima, p. 50-53; 92-93; 147-149. 1917.09.13 | The Lady of the Rosary appears to the three shepherd children for the fifth time. The roads “were packed with people” on that September 13. "There appeared all (the) miseries of poor humanity," says the Lucia’s compassionate look, remembering the crowd.